The Sun Blog returns in style

Rejoice sun-lovers. Today (March 20), is the Spring Equinox, when the sun gains ascendancy over the darkness, and the days start to be longer than the nights. Our ancestors celebrated it with all kinds of exciting pagan shenanigans. But I mark the occasion with the return of LoveSunshine for its scorching summer season, and to announce an exciting new development: my new role as Dr Sunshine, Thomson holiday's very own resident sunshine expert.

What does that involve? Well, the best bit involves my going to all kinds of sunny destinations to assess their product, and help them give their customers what they really want. And what they really want is sunshine, it would appear. I helped Thomson devise a survey, which revealed that 97% of their sample considered the weather an important factor in their holiday choice. And three quarters stated that sunshine makes them feel happy. A whopping 92% considered sunshine the best way to beat stress. Sunshine is the ultimate feel-good tonic, and people considered at least one foreign holiday a year as essential, even in these straightened times. They were saving for a rainy day, literally, and that's what we generally get instead of a summer here. Which is good news for Thomson, and supports what I've been promoting in this blog and in my book - our fundamental need for sunshine, especially if we have another summer like the last two. Forget the financial climate, the real scandal is the meteorological one, and it's gratifying to see we Brits are still determined to flit off abroad to access the real stuff. The pound might be prostrate against the Euro, but the best news is sunshine is free.

And the best news for me, is my new role as Dr Sunshine. They will look to me for expert advice; I will help them understand the importance of sunshine from numerous perspectives; help shape their product offering, and its promotion. But, best of all, I get to sample it. It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it. And you can see, I'm up to the task and ready to start assessing. Lab coat over my Speedos, clipboard and flip flops at the ready. It's my dream job (oh, and my book Sunshine is out in paperback in May). Here's to sunny days ahead... If you don't believe me, check out the press release; and if you need some instant sun check out Thomson's sunny delights here.

Rejoice: It's National Sunshine Day

Today is the Vernal Equinox. The day, as my druidic advisers inform me, when the 'the light is in the ascendancy and first matches strength with the darkness, and the young sun reaches maturity on winning this annual clash of horns'. Got that? I prefer to look on it as the sun's coming of age party. Or ancestors solemnised this important date with their ceremonies; but we, cosseted sophisticates, have lost touch with the solar rhythms, and the sun has forsaken us. Look at that sky today? Dismal. And what does this foretell for the summer? Well, there is no reason for us to prance around in woods, naked except for white flowing robes which scarcely conceal the perky outlines of Ingrid Pitt (in her younger days), or that saucy one with the weird eyes who always gets vampirized. Although, if you do, let me know when and where. The sun can still be welcomed back and encouraged by modern means. We can celebrate the good old current bun's return by wearing a piece of yellow, smiling a bit, and with a few sunny pop songs.

There's plenty of them. Pop loves the sun. And to prove it, none other than Nick Reynolds, the High Priest of Heliotastic Hi-Fi, has sprinkled some sonic solar scorchers into his weekly show, to get you hipsters humming and hymning the sun on this, his very special day. Check out show 51, the equinox extravaganza, and let the sunshine in with style.